U.S. Open mixed doubles: How a controversial tennis spectacle came to be, and what to expect

The Athletic has live coverage of the U.S. Open tennis tournament with the new mixed doubles format.

For better or for worse, definitely for richer, and for who knows how long, the reimagined, star-spangled U.S. Open mixed doubles tournament gets underway Tuesday, Aug. 19 at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.

Sixteen pairs, comprised of the biggest names in singles and some of the best in the world at doubles, will compete for a $1 million payday over two days of tennis, before the tournament’s singles draws have even begun. The U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) is hiring private jets at will; ESPN is doing interviews between sets and, until the final, the sets are first to four games, not six.

Stars of doubles say it devalues a Grand Slam trophy and their chosen discipline; the USTA says that the previous setup was doing that already.

So, what should a tennis fan expect from this two-day jamboree, affront to the sport, or maybe both?

How does the new mixed doubles format work?

When Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori lifted the U.S. Open’s mixed doubles trophy last September, they did so after coming through a 32-team draw, played alongside the tournament’s singles events.

Whoever lifts it this year will have come through four matches in two days, three of them shorter than a regular tennis match. In the mixed doubles’ new format, the round of 16, quarterfinals and semifinals will be best of three sets, but first to four games, not six. If a game goes to deuce, 40-40, then it’s straight to a deciding point. If it’s 1-1 in sets, a 10-point tiebreak will decide the winners.

The final will follow the same format, but the sets there will stick with tradition and be first to six games.

This is all to align with the tournament’s priorities of “trying to get the game’s biggest stars on the court playing together,” said Eric Butorac, a former Grand Slam doubles finalist and the USTA executive whose baby this mixed doubles event became.

Butorac has spent much of the past year quizzing, cajoling and nudging those stars, ultimately devising a format geared to their needs.

Competing in mixed doubles during the singles events was a non-starter, which is why this competition ends four days before the singles draws begin on Sunday, Aug. 24. And they would need a bit of help qualifying, given their doubles rankings — with a few exceptions — aren’t all that. So eight teams got in on their combined singles ranking, and the next eight were drawn as wild cards. One went to Errani and Vavassori, who called the format “a profound injustice” when it was announced.

Here are those teams. Men’s singles world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and Kateřina Siniaková, probably the greatest active doubles player on earth, were slated to play, but Sinner retired from his Cincinnati Open final against Carlos Alcaraz due to illness, and later withdrew from the event. Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison took their place, as the alternate team with the best combined singles ranking.

What do the players think of the new mixed doubles?

Even singles stars uneasy about the format are getting involved.

Novak Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam singles champion, is on record that awarding a major title for two days of tennis is weird. Yet he’s in, with Serbian compatriot Olga Danilović. Jessica Pegula, who reached the “old” mixed doubles final at Flushing Meadows in 2023, criticized how the USTA went about upending the event. She’s in too, with Britain’s Jack Draper as her partner.

The tournament has still irked longtime doubles players, who are now on the outside looking in. Before she got a wild card to play with Sinner, Siniaková said in an interview with media from her Czech homeland that her absence meant the event would have little to say.

But Butorac said that when he started talking to top singles players about the format this February, the interest was immediate.

Six-time Grand Slam women’s singles champion Iga Świątek and three-time major singles finalist Casper Ruud were one of the first pairs in. Reigning Australian Open women’s singles champion Madison Keys’ friendship with Frances Tiafoe made them a shoo-in. And Ben Shelton, who is enjoying a strong season on the singles circuit, knew he wanted to partner with Taylor Townsend, the women’s world No. 1 in doubles and a longtime friend. They made the U.S. Open semifinals in 2023, Shelton’s first full season as a professional.

“He says, ‘I’m gonna play with Taylor. You know, we almost won the mixed a couple of years ago. She’s the best in the world. I want to win this thing’,” Butorac said.

Other players have different motives.

Draper missed this year’s hard-court swing with injury, so wants some competitive practice on the surface before the singles tournament starts. Siniaková had originally entered with Marcelo Arévalo, the men’s world No. 1 in doubles. They were sweating on a wild card. To get one, Siniaková ended up with Sinner after his original partner, Emma Navarro, withdrew, but has ultimately missed out.

Errani and Vavassori will have to fly the flag for doubles skill over starpower all by themselves, and doubles results at the Olympics in Paris last year suggest that they could upset a few famous faces. Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal were rolled over in the men’s event by Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek, who put on a masterclass in court geometry and control.

How were the doubles pairings decided and what are the incentives?

Some of these partnerships know each other better than others. Alcaraz and Raducanu are friends, and also share a sponsor, Evian. The IMG agency represents Świątek and Ruud, as well as Keys and Tiafoe. When Sinner’s partnership with Navarro came to light, he suggested the USTA had paired them up. Buterac said he spoke to Sinner at the Italian Open in Rome, and gave him a few names to choose from, rather than actively nudging him and Navarro toward each other.

And for all of them, the prize money is a pretty good reason to take to the court with just about anyone. The total purse is $2.35 million. Just showing up is worth $20,000 per team, with $100,000 going to all quarterfinalists, $200,000 for all semifinalists, $400,000 for the runners-up and that coveted $1 million for the winning duo.

Last year, Errani and Vavassori received $200,000. That’s a fivefold increase, fueled by ticket sales across the two biggest stadiums at the U.S. Open, Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong, enhanced sponsorship interest and the other revenues that come from bringing top stars to play on ESPN.

Then there’s the private jet in Cincinnati. Sinner’s illness meant he did not need it, but the USTA had other players to whisk over to New York. Alcaraz was one; Świątek, who beat Jasmine Paolini in the women’s final of that same tournament, is the other. Paolini was also down to play the mixed at the U.S. Open too, but she pulled out earlier this week.

In the case of last-minute withdrawals, alternate teams are on standby. They will sign in before 10 a.m. Tuesday, with play starting at 11 a.m. If someone withdraws, they will get a place. The first two teams get hotels and food covered for the entire week, so there’s reason to stick around.

“There must be 20 teams on there,” Buterac said. “Is it gonna be the top teams? Who knows, but I expect people will be here ready to take that shot if an open spot presents itself.”

As well they should. Some 36 hours later, a Grand Slam title and $1 million might be theirs.

How to watch the event?

• Venues: Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong Stadiums — Queens, N.Y.
• Dates: Aug. 19 and 20
• Watching in person? Get tickets on StubHub.

The first two rounds air Tuesday from 11 a.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN+, moving at 1 p.m. ET onto ESPNEWS and ESPN+. The semifinals and final air Wednesday, Aug. 20, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

They will be called by Mary Joe Fernandez, John McEnroe and Patrick McEnroe, with Chris McKendry as host. ESPN is trialing new coverage during the event, including interviews between sets and new camera technology.

Who is going to win this thing?

Shelton and Townsend have been here before and came close to winning the whole event. Raducanu and Alcaraz’s partnership is neat, but their doubles skills might come undone against Pegula — who has doubles pedigree of her own — and Draper’s lefty guile in the opening round. Errani and Vavassori might have liked their chances, but they’ve drawn the sleeper pair in the event first up.

Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz, two of the best servers in the sport, decided to play together after winning the Eisenhower Cup — a mixed-doubles competition comprised of pairs of singles stars! — in Indian Wells, Calif. earlier this year.

With just one of Townsend / Shelton and Rybakina / Fritz able to make it to the final, if one of them does, they ought to be in the box seat for the $1 million.

Tell us what you think of the event — and who is going to win — in the comments.

(Photo of Taylor Fritz and Elena Rybakina: Robert Prange / Getty Images)